Toxic
by Pharaoh-chan
Summary: AVALANCHE tries to put a stop to Shinra's ruthless actions against the planet but a Geostigma epidemic is on the rise. One girl is offered a second chance at life, but will it cost her an eternity of servitude in her new prison? Turks/Oc Rufus/Oc
1. It Begins

Author's Notes: It occurs to me that I have been dead for almost a year now, with nothing new or updated, and I feel awful about that. No, I do. XD Maybe it's just….I procrastinate to the point of forgetting all my good ideas and not bothering to write anything down. Because if it sucks, or if I lose the character then, there's no point in my mind to go on. I feel that way with a lot of my stories. So I'm going to try really hard on this one, and whether or not I get many reviews all depends on how well this story is liked by the lot of you. Please try to enjoy. Oh yea, and please don't bash me for not being completely accurate with names of towns, or timelines or anything crap like such as that because….as far as I know, this IS my story. So roll with it, yes? XD

The Summary: Takes place within the events of Final Fantasy VII. Cloud and the others are trying to put a stop to Shinra's ruthless actions against the planet. However during this time, a huge epidemic of Geostigma breaks out. Shinra, to cover up their criminal acts of Mako abuse, order quarantine for everyone still infected. However, the disease is spreading faster than ever. The President orders genocide of the quarantine victims to hide their faults. Members of the Turks have spread out from city to city, looking for infected victims. Currently, Reno and Rude are positioned in Costa Del Sol. It's told from the story of this young girl, but it mainly focuses around her interactions with the Turks and AVALANCHE.

Author's Note: And again, if I can't build up my idea from this, then I will shoot myself in the arm and never write again. XD

The Rating: T for violence, swearing? Let's see. XD

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Chapter One: It Begins.

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"You're sick."

Such a residual tone. Everywhere it followed her. Preventing her from anyone and anything. It plagued her and marked her, like a sin. She was detested. Dozens of job applications thrown back in her face, men disgustedly backing away from her. It wasn't as if she had chosen to be diseased. She wondered if it wasn't long now before she would die. Maybe she would go peacefully in her sleep, though she heard in most Geostigma cases you hardly went peacefully.

As far as she knew, it was a disease of the mind, mostly affecting your memories, altering your perceiving thought. It hadn't been that strong yet though. In fact, she had barely come into contact with the Mako, not realizing it had been so close to her home, but they say you don't always have to physically come into contact with Mako for you to become infected. The ailments had not affected her memory as of late, but the marks were visible on her arms. Her pale arms looked bruised on both undersides, like she had been beaten. There was no hiding the marks, so everywhere she went, people knew, and stared.

She had gone to the doctor before, she thought it was a rash, perhaps, since her skin looked mildly irritated, however it was the farthest thing from an allergic reaction.

"_You have Mako poisoning."_

It had devastated her.

_There's no cure for Geostigma. _She had remembered thinking, hopelessly. She had left the clinic without another word and since then had tried to go about her normal life. But nothing was normal after that.

From what she had heard, some people _had_ been cured though. A miracle. But it must have been speculation. In fact, she saw many who were still infected, sitting in the café's, reading the news, or sipping from their cups casually, as if nothing was wrong. As if they ­

weren't going to die a painful death of agony. So if there was a cure, it would have been given to all of the cities and their doctors, wouldn't it? Unless…..unless there was no cure.

In her many months of sickness, there were those who were compassionate and sympathetic towards her, and those who were disgusted and fearful of her. It was as if the world had only these two kinds of people in it. She wasn't sure if the sympathetic ones were any better though, since they treated her like a child. It was a sickness of memory, not of her intelligence.

As she thought about all of this, turning the corner and stepping into the small café, she wondered briefly if all of her family had died from Geostigma, or if it was from the SOLDIERs attacking them. What would be a better death? By the hand of man or a disease? A bullet in the face, or an attack from inside your body. She figured that the disease would last longer, and be a more painful death. But she wondered, if she would be brave enough to end the pain, if given the chance to.

She sat down into one of the rod iron chairs, placing her purse on the table, and looking up at the small television. Oh perhaps not…she could never kill herself. But if someone else shot her…..

She wiped the thought quickly from her head, not wanting to plague her mind with thoughts of morbid death any longer. She prayed for a time she could think peacefully. She would give anything for a day of normalcy.

The waitress soon came to her table, looking at her with that sympathetic gaze, and she sighed, wishing for it to stop. The wait was long and grueling for one simple cup of coffee. She allowed herself to look around for a while. The bell attached to the door rang a few times, as customers walked in. It rang again, this time, two men in suits walked in, one tall and lanky, red hair, long ponytail down his back, and his opposite, a man much more built, with no hair at all, and a pair of sunglasses. She thought they were oddly dressed to be coming into a resort town, but then again they looked like they might've come from work. Perhaps they were on a vacation of some-

"Here you go, sweetie." The waitress set the steaming cup down with a huge smile on her face.

She sighed, rolling her eyes when the waitress stepped away finally. God, what she wouldn't give to stab everyone in the face who looked at her like that. She reached for the sugar, pouring a large amount in her cup. She slid it back to its place and then reached for her spoon, tucked next to her placemat. The spoon found its way onto the floor instead of in her cup, by accident, knocking it off of the small table. She sighed exasperatingly, reaching down to the floor to grab up her spoon, but another hand was faster and more diligent in the process, and swept it up for her. If it was the waitress, smiling at her like that again she was going to-

But it was not the waitress. It was him, the man she saw come in. He looked down at her, red hair framing his young face, a pair of glasses resting above his brow, reflecting the shiny lights above, blue crystalline eyes gazing back at her.

"You eh, dropped this, Miss." He said, corners of his mouth upturned into a bright smile. The other man, his partner, was sitting behind him, shaking his head.

"Oh….th-thank you." She tittered, cheeks flushing. She was so awkward when it came to the opposite sex, it made her sick. It didn't even matter if they were good looking or not, it was just her making an ass of herself. She took the spoon, starting to lean back into her seat, but she felt a strong hand wrapped around her wrist. She looked up at his face, and he merely smiled at her again.

"You have the Stigma, don't you." It was a statement, not a question. It would have been silly to ask, because it was obvious. There was no denying it.

The man's partner leaned over his shoulder, to see for himself. After seeing it was true, they quickly and quietly nodded to one another as if in a silent understanding.

"Come on with us." The man said, standing up, his partner doing the same, pulling her up along with them.

She looked so alarmed, reaching backwards for her purse, but feeling nothing but emptiness as she was pulled out the door.

She looked behind her, large doe eyes, watching the waitress peer out the window after her with a confused look on her face, biting her lip.

She tried to jerk free from their grip, kicking up dirt as she flailed around.

"PLEASE! No, where are you taking me?! Please, I haven't done anything wrong, please!" Look at this; she was resorting to begging now, like she had any control over her disease. And now she was discriminated because of it. They probably came to take her away, throw her into an abandoned facility somewhere with the rest of the diseased population.

And it was funny, in sort of a, twisted, sinister way.

She was not too far off.

And, another sinister thought crept its way into her subconscious. That sometimes….some people….just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Had she never walked into that café that day, perhaps she would have never ran into the two men who were currently throwing her in the back of a large truck. Had she never arrived in Costa Del Sol a few weeks ago, perhaps she wouldn't have been stabbed in the arm with a syringe by a strange man in a long, dirty coat, with hands icier than death itself. And maybe, she thought drowsily to herself, as her eyes began to close and her vision blurred, if she'd never moved away from her family in Midgar, she would have been safely tucked away in her bedroom, with no sickness at all and not a care in the world.

Maybe is such a tenebrous word.

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Author's Note: NO SHE ISN'T DEAD. What kind of writer would I be to kill her? She has been drugged just so that is clear. So. Uh, I hope it catches some attention. If not…..Oh….well…..


	2. It Ends

Chapter Two: It Ends.

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"_Where are you from?"_

"_What is your name?"_

"_Which sector are you from?"_

"_Is there anyone currently residing with you?"_

"_How long has it been since you've came into contact with Mako?"_

Oh….shut up...shut up….so many voices…..all she wanted to do was sleep. What was the point of waking up if she was going to be bombarded with questions?

"Does she have any i.d. on her?"

"Nah, I checked her in the van, yo." Another voice chimed in, sounding familiar, though she couldn't place where she recognized it from.

"It was probably in the purse back at the café." Another voice replied in sort of a sardonic way. It sounded much more masculine.

"So we have a Jane doe here?" A huge exasperated sigh. "Any ideas?"

"Just wait till she wakes up and ask her, yo!" The familiar voice answered.

"_Great…._Just exactly what I wanted to do today."

Oh honestly, she had no intentions of waking up. But what could she do? She had to find out where she was and what was happening. Or at the least, find out who had kidnapped her and why.

Slowly she creaked an eye open, squinting at the bright light that flooded her retina. There were three shadowy figures looming around her, but she couldn't make out who they were this way. She opened both eyes. It took a minute to adjust to the light but she found she was actually laying down on a small fold out cot. The room itself was small, barren, the walls painted a hugely annoying bright white color. There was small table in the center of the room, where a strange man she'd never seen before was sitting at, hands folded. The other man was in the corner of the room on a chair, tipped back. He was the man from before, the one who had kidnapped her. His partner didn't stand far from him. His arms were crossed and he was leaned against the wall, staring sternly ahead.

Her mouth was agape as she sat up, eyes wide, hair mussed.

The three men looked at her in silence for a moment, the one at the table clearing his throat.

"Wh-where am I? What have you done to me?" Her voice wavered uncertainly.

The men exchanged glances. As they did so, she could clearly see their faces now. The one at the table, she'd never seen before, and she was glad because he looked intimidating to her. His face was young but his eyes were piercing, and something about him was eerily uncomfortable. He had a jewel-like dot in the middle of his forehead, which puzzled her. He was wearing a suit much like the other men. His was buttoned to the top of the collar, neat and crisp.

She suddenly felt so groggy and needy for answers and she grew impatient in the quiet.

"_Answer. Me._ Where am I?" She spat out, surprised by how bold she sounded and yet how afraid in contrast she felt. She certainly wouldn't have thought her persona to be so demanding in such a predicament.

"Firstly, you will not address me in such a rude manner. All of your questions will be answered in due time so I suggest you be patient. Now," He tapped a ballpoint pen against the table. "You need to fill out your name, date of birth, where you're residing, and whom you're residing with currently. I would fill it in myself, but I've already been delayed enough today and I have business to attend to." He looked scornful for a moment, like it was her fault he was delayed, when it wasn't even her choice to be here in the first place. "When you're done, they'll take it for you." He briefly gestured to the two men, and took a moment to adjust his tie. He shoved the blank white paper across the table for her to see. He then stood up from the chair, exiting the room casually. She didn't get to ask him anything else, only being ordered.

She looked at the two men who had kidnapped her.

"Why are you two here?"

They looked at one another and then back at her.

"It's…protocol for us to be here. We're the ones who found you." The red head explained, tilting back in his seat again.

"So?" She spat out, frowning fiercely at him. "And you didn't find me you kidnapped me. I believe there's a difference"

"Look, it wasn't kidnap." He ran a hand through his hair, his chair becoming earthbound again. "We're just trying to help Geostigma victims, yo. When we start yakking about taking someone in for treatment, most patients…..eh….._resist_, I guess is the best word."

"Oh so it's a lot better to just, take them against their will? Resist, God I can see why." She mocked him, crossing her arms.

"If patients refuse to seek treatment, they'll only get worse and spread their conditions to others." The redhead's partner stated briefly.

"So it's reasonable to take someone against their will, for the good of humanity, is that right?" She hissed back at him.

"When it's for the better of the majority, then yes." He shrugged.

"You forget that I'm a human too. Don't I have rights? God, I didn't choose to be sick!" She threw up her arms, so tired of the same treatment.

"Look kid, this ain't our department…we just bring Stigma patients here. We're not here to debate politics of human rights. We have orders." The red head protested.

"Orders? From who?"

Who could have possibly ordered for people to be kidnapped? Were people honestly clueless and heartless enough to ignore their own conscious morals?

"Shinra. Haven't you heard, yo? It's been plastered all over the news." He adjusted his glasses on his head, tilting them forward.

"Shinra….? You aren't….SOLDIERS…are you?"

"Nah, we're not exactly blue collars…In fact….wait, what are we exactly?" He looked to his partner, at a loss for words.

"Lackeys?" He shrugged again.

"No way, give me a more sophisticated word!"

His partner coughed briefly. "Ah…..CIA?"

"_Now_ you're talking!" The red head grinned as his partner went on.

"FBI?"

"BINGO! The best there is!" He grinned wider and let out a laugh.

"But what exactly are you?" She asked, oddly looking at them.

"We're the Turks, yo! Well…part of 'em anyway." He scratched at the back of his head.

His partner coughed loudly, shaking his head.

"Oh, yeah, you're not supposed to….know that….eh…anyway! Times a tickin', and uh, it'd be great if you could fill that out." He nodded over to the paper on the table.

She sighed, kicking her legs over the side of the cot.

"I haven't much of a choice, do I? I've already been kidnapped." She muttered at them, slumping against the chair. She picked up the pen, glaring down at the paper in front of her, ­thinking of how nice it would be to make this difficult for them. She could tear it up, crumple it up and throw it at the redhead's face maybe. Or maybe she'd forget the paper and throw a punch at one of them. She thought against it of course, knowing she couldn't outmatch their brawn. She rubbed a hand over her face, still affected by the drug.

"When can I leave?" She asked, looking from both of them.

They both exchanged an unreadable look.

"Like I said, that's not really our department." The red head trailed off, looking away from her for a moment.

She felt an eerie sense in his words, as if they translated to something she definitely did not want to hear.

Maybe she wasn't going home ever again. Maybe this was her new home now. A quarantine camp for diseased people.

Was this her fate? Was this the fate of all Geostigma victims? A life of torture and seclusion brought to them by Shinra before a painful death? It just seemed so unfair, so cruel.

_Please_, she remembered thinking desperately, _if there is God that is merciful_…_don't let me go_ _through this. Don't let me…..die here._

In the back of her mind, however, she knew otherwise. Her fate was sealed.


	3. The Problem

Chapter Three: The Problem

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It had been a long time since the two men had left her. She had long since tried the door. It was locked obviously. So she paced around the room for a while, bored and impatient and scared and alone. It seemed like she waited in that cramped room for hours, with nothing to do. All she could do was wait anxiously for someone. Finally, the door slammed open, two men in white lab coats came in. She stood up, alarmed at their entrance but had no time to shoot the breeze, ( if you could call it that,) as they grabbed her by both arms and yanked her out of the room. She cried out as they dug their fingers into her soft flesh, but could say nothing as they whisked her from hallway to hallway, stopping once to use some sort of card to gain access to the elevator. They boarded it. She could see through the glass to the streets below, realizing she was very high up. Maybe in some corporate building.

When the elevator doors slid open, she could see a large number of people, frantically scurrying around, which confirmed her belief. It hardly seemed logical, for Geostigma patients to be taken to an office or a building where people were. What sort of seclusion camp was _this?_

She was lead through a few more hallways and finally deposited in another room, one much nicer to look at and even full of furniture. It contained a bed, table, and chair. They slammed the door shut, locking it of course. She could hear their footsteps echo in the hallway outside her door.

She pressed her ear to the door, listening for anything at all, but it just sounded so quiet.

Left again in anxiousness and loneliness, she sat on the bed, waiting for someone to find her, someone to answer her pressing questions. It seemed like another few hours before she heard anything. There were the rustling of a few footsteps, a few yells down the hallway. She sat up straight, listening intently to decipher the sounds. A few more shouts and bangs, and her own door opened.

"You again?!" She hissed, perplexed at how many times she could possibly run into this man.

"Easy there. No hello or nothing, yo?" The red head said, grinning widely.

"What are you, _stalking_ me? Is this your form of punishment, following me around for the rest of my time here, _annoying_ me?"

"Whoa whoa, I'm not stalking you. This is my _job_." He held his hands up defensively, slumping down in the chair across from her.

"Making yourself comfortable?" She sneered at him, crossing her arms.

"I might be here a while." He answered back smugly, with a smirk on his face.

"God, I hope not." She shuddered at the thought of having a strange man watch her for hours on end. "I thought you were just there for the paperwork."

He shrugged his skinny shoulders, looking sideways. "Guess I have to observe you today." She scowled at him in disgust. "Job." He reminded her, holding his hands up in protest once again.

"Where's tall, silent, and bald one then?"

He laughed brightly, shaking his head. "Nah, _he's_ stuck with the paperwork. Lucky him." He sent a mocking glare her way.

"So….when can I leave?" She persistently questioned, knowing well that he'd probably come up with another vague answer. It was worth a shot though.

"Ah, c'mon, you know I'm not in charge of that. Isn't there anything else you'd like to know?"

"Ok, where are the other Geostigma patients?"

A huge awkward pause. "Y'know what, we could just….sit in silence. Yeah."

"I hate silence. You said you would answer my questions."

"I never said that! I remember distinctly saying 'Isn't there anything else you'd like to ask?'. I never said I'd answer what you'd ask."

"You're aggravating. I deserve to know why I'm here."

"Well don't expect anything outta me, yo. Besides, you insulted me. Why in the world would I oblige your questions, hm?" He leaned forward on his chair, smirking at her.

"Because you kidnapped me, drugged me, and forced me to come here, so at the very least, I deserve a verbal reply to my questions and not just a sarcastic tiff."

"Touché." He answered, still smirking at her.

"And by the way, I hate Shinra. I hate it. If you expect me to stay here without making a fuss, you think again. I'll do whatever I can to make your life difficult."

"Hey hey hey, I'M not Shinra. If you've got a problem with PRESIDENT Shinra or the company than I suggest filin' out a complaint. But then again you can't, yo. 'Cuz you're in here." He laughed, his red hair shaking along with every nod of his head.

"You're oh so bright aren't you? And what's with the way you speak?"

"Eh? What's wrong with the way I talk?"

The door opened again, this time an older man with a goatee and a blue suit walked in, nodding to the redhead.

"How long do you have?" He asked him.

The red head glanced over at his wristwatch. "Oh…about…an hour or so?"

"Too long. There's trouble. Can it wait?"

"You askin' me to give up my post, Reeve? How bad can it be?" The redhead looked incredulously at him.

The older man took a step forward, glaring at him intensely.

"There are intruders in the top floors." They both were silent for a moment, watching each other.

"Avalanche." He added, turning for the exit, leaving the door open. The redhead immediately jumped to his feet, walking briskly out the door, turning back to grab the handle.

A look was exchanged between her and the redhead before he shut the door. She heard their frantic steps down the hallway.

So quiet around her.

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"Look, we can see right down this vent, Cloud…" Tifa whispered softly, her long hair swishing past her shoulders as she huddled over the vent, looking down at the members of Shinra at the long table.

He nodded in response to her, watching the President of Shinra sit down in one of the huge chairs. Suddenly the door slammed open, revealing a blue suited man, gasping for breath.

"Sorry I'm late…I had some business to attend to. I had to find Reno and it took longer than expec-"

The President made a loud noise in the back of his throat, signaling for the man to sit down and silence himself.

"Honestly Reeve, your excuses are pathetic. You're more trouble than you're good for." The President of Shinra bellowed loudly. "Now on to official business. Verdot! How goes your endeavors? Find any…._new_ and _willing_ SOLDIER participants?" He smirked, laughing loudly, being accompanied by a few others,

"Why of course, sir. There's so many who are willing to be injected with Mako these days." Verdot smiled, chuckling to himself. "But what does it matter? SOLDIERs are on the verge of taking over the cities of the eastern side."

"Yeah!" Heideggar guffawed crazily, banging his fists on the table, " GYAAA HAAA HAAAA! In fact, I've got a SOLDIER unit ready to receive orders in Corel!"

"In addition to the successes of SOLDIER, I believe we have another matter to settle." Hojo interjected, pushing his glasses up. "As all of you might be aware, there's an increase of Geostigma victims. Mako poisoning is getting more and more common."

"Were you able to find anything useful in your dissections?" Shinra inquired.

"No. Each patient was affected the same way." Hojo smiled darkly, his glasses shining from the lights above, making him look eerie.

"We can't go around wasting time on these people anymore." Scarlet hissed, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders. "Besides, do you _know_ what will happen if word leaks out about the affects of Mako? An uprising!"

Heideggar broke out laughing, slamming his fists on the table once more.

"Not like it'd matter, we'd crush any deifiers with SOLDIER armies anyway!"

"You idiot," Scarlet growled venomously, "If Geostigma outbreaks continue, there won't _be_ anyone left to crush!"

"Then what do you propose we do?"

"Destroy the evidence, naturally." Hojo said, tilting back in his seat.

Everyone stopped, turning to look at him.

"What….are you saying?" Scarlet finally said, eyes wide.

Hojo merely clucked his tongue, smiling darkly at her.


	4. The Solution

Chapter Four: The Solution.

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"What did you say?" Scarlet repeated, eyes wide.

Hojo merely smirked, adjusting his glasses. Everyone in the room was silent, even Heideggar's incessant laughter was now quieted as all attention was turned toward Hojo.

"I merely was suggesting that for the sake of this company's reputation, we should eliminate a possibly bad contender." He tapped a finger to his temple in thought.

"You're saying we should…kill them. The Geostigma patients." Reeve stared at him, eyes wide in shock. Hojo merely shrugged at him. "You're mad. You're suggesting that we kill people, and, and for the sake of this company?!"

"Is it really that big of a shock? We kill people anyway, every day. People _die_, Reeve." Scarlet said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear casually. The rest of the room was silent, in thought.

"I can't believe this. I mean, it's different in terms of military, but, just people with no control over it…" Reeve was at a loss for words, watching everyone around the room, eyes settling on the President who was nodding in thought.

"Hojo makes an excellent point. We can't have diseased patients running around, spreading the virus and pinpointing the poisoning back to us. It would only slow down our success." He reached for his cigar in his front pocket, taking out a lighter and holding it to the end. He placed the cigar in his mouth, smoking a few puffs thoughtfully. "And besides, it's not like people would catch on. The world is so blind nowadays. They'd never know the difference."

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Tifa placed a trembling hand to her mouth, slumped over the sink in the bathroom. They'd crawled down from the vent just over the toilet and she felt so sick, disbelieving how truly evil the company was.

"All this time Cloud….if people had any idea about what was going on, right under their noses…." She stifled a sob. "How horrible."

"Tifa…." He looked to the floor, placing a steady hand on her shaking shoulders. "We have to keep moving." He said, as softly as he possibly could.

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She had sat on her bed for a long time. A very long time. It was so quiet. She'd give anything for someone to talk to, to distract her from her thoughts. Her surroundings didn't help much, being so plain, with nothing to look at or read. She never got one answer as to why she was here. It was so discouraging for her to press on, even mentally. If she was going to die anyways, what did it matter where she was?

Long ago she had decided how she felt about her disease. She would live with it, as little time she had left, and she would be prepared to die, without fear. Ironic as it was, she was always afraid of death though, not knowing what to expect on the other side.

What difference did it make now?

She stared down at her arms, so pale and sickly looking, with those disgusting black bruises covering them. She felt so infested. She wanted to scrub at her arms, ridding herself of the marks, as if they were just dirty and could wash them down the sink.

Just then she felt so tired. So tired of being sick. So tired of being alone. So tired of being different and punished for it. What would she stay awake for? Nobody came in. Nothing changed. And if anyone did come in, they'd give her the same song and dance, leaving her helpless and hopeless.

Just sleep. Maybe all of this is a bad dream. When she wakes up, she'll no longer be here, in a foreign room, but in her own room, filled with her possessions, her mother smiling down at her.

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"Who are you?"

Aqua eyes staring down at her. _Mother…?_ She thought drowsily. The light was so bright, and all she could see were those eyes. But the voice repeated itself again, and it certainly didn't sound anything like her mother.

"Who are _you_?" She repeated back to the silhouette. She lifted herself, using her arms to support her. She got to her knees, shielding her eyes from the intense light. A huge dome like shape surrounded her, white coated men standing outside, staring back at her. She looked to the silhouette from before, and seen it really wasn't her mother, but a young girl in her twenties, long braided hair and a simple pink dress.

As if deciding she would be the bold one to make the first statement, the girl placed a hand to her chest.

"I'm Aeris."

The girl nodded in response, swallowing hoarsely. "Aeris," She repeated. "Where are we?"

Aeris shrugged her skinny shoulders, giving her a melancholy look. "I don't know." She bit her bottom lip, her eyes looking glassy as she gazed around the room. "Those men have been trying to capture me for years."

"The ones in the lab coats?" Aeris shook her head, her hair bouncing from side to side as she did so.

"No, not them. Turks. Shinra. They want me because they think I'm an Ancient. Is that why you're here, too?" She tilted her head to the side. "Are you an Ancient just like me?"

"Not close to being whatever that is. I'm just here because of this." She held out both of her arms to see. Aeris leaned over to look, her lips parting as she gasped. "That looks so painful!" She cried, both hands to her face. "Is it really bad?"

"Not as bad as it looks. I don't even have half of the symptoms most people have."

"That's good." Aeris nodded in relief. "So maybe you have a chance to get better."

"Yeah, maybe." She replied. "But from the looks of where we are currently, I doubt I'll even have the chance."

"No no, don't say that." Aeris said softly, bending down. "You mustn't give up, even if it's hopeless."

The other girl stared up at her, her face having an ethereal quality to it, her eyes kind.

Hopeless was right. But if she gave up now, she'd have nothing to look to, nothing to give her hope or inspiration. She had to keep fighting, even if it seemed like she was caught in their trap.

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"How long do you think we'll be stuck in here?" She asked, wandering around, glancing at the men in lab coats now and then.

"As long as they feel like keeping us here I suppose." Aeris replied, folding her arms, her pink dress swishing around her as she walked.

"But why in here? What do you think they're plan-" And as if an answer to her question, a man entered the room, giving out orders to men who were scattering around. The dome bubble they were in must've been sound proof because all they could see were his lips moving as he gestured.

"You have the specimens ready, yes?" Hojo asked, gesturing to one of the men.

"Of course."

"Then we shall test it on them."

"We'll see whether it mates with them or not." The man answered, pulling a lever on a machine looking device.

"Did you say 'mate' or 'maim'?" Hojo asked, the corners of his mouth upturning into a sneer as the men broke out in snickers.

From inside, Aeris and the young girl felt a shift in the dome, as if it were opening up. But the dome itself was not opening, rather a garage like door inside it. They both looked over their shoulders in time to see a flash of red jump from inside the dark corridor.

"What was that?" The girl asked, backing away, mouth agape.

"I don't know…." Aeris said, looking just as horrified.

"What's in here with us?!" She cried, holding onto Aeris' arm, as if she could serve as any protection.

Aeris gave off a high pitch shrill as the other girl shrieked, the red creature bounding to them, growling fiercely.

"No!! NO!!" The girl sobbed loudly, clinging to Aeris for dear life. She did not want to die this way. To be mutilated by a creature. She wouldn't die in her own bed surrounded by her loved ones. She'd die in some place foreign to her. It would be bloody and painful she'd imagine.

But then again…..what would it matter? If death was not from this creature, surely it'd be from some other painful way Shinra would come up with. Maybe they'd dissect her while she was still living.

She remembered what Aeris told her though, just a few moments before, and the thought quickly slipped from her. Even if death was inevitable, the worse part would be to give up. No matter how hopeless, she must have the will to fight.

The red creature bounded at her, she screamed, holding her arms up in defense, but she felt nothing. No flesh tearing from her, no blood pouring from her wounds. She cracked an eye open, seeing the red creature was staring back at her, it's tail wagging in the air. She watched it for a few moments, wondering why in the world it wasn't attacking her, but then saw it wink at her. At least….she _though_t it had winked at her. Had it? She must've been losing it now!

"Look, either way, we can't let them die now! One of the girl's is an Ancient! We need her to find the Ancient's land, she's the only one left to show it to us." A young man reasoned with Hojo, waving his clipboard in a frantic manner.

Hojo sighed, placing a finger to his temple. "I suppose it _would_ be….reckless. To do away with the Ancient. The Geostigma patient I could care less about, but we'll certainly find another use for her." He directed his attention to the man on the far side of the platform. "You there!" He called, getting the attention of the other. "Release the hatch at once!" The man responded with a 'yes sir' and threw the switch, Shinra guards taking their places in front of the dome to stop the creature before it got loose.

The creature snarled at them and lunged at the open area, the girls thinking at first, it was leaping at them, but saw that it went past them and right into the guards, maiming the arm of one. As if the confusion of the loose creature wasn't enough, a gun shot was heard through the room, alarming the scientists and most of the guards.

"AWRIGHT FOOS'! THE HELL YOU DO WITH AERIS?" A voice boomed across the room. A few more shots followed and a young girl bounded across the platform. Hojo stepped back, losing his balance for a minute.

The young girl dropped down in front of the two girls, breathing heavily.

"Aeris." The girl smiled up at her, continuing her ragged breathing. "I'm glad to have found you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now…." Aeris answered kindly.

The girl then looked to the other. "What about you, are you alright?"

"I'm not dead, if that's what you mean." The girl seemed to take the response as a joke and laughed, pushing her long hair back. "Good then. We came just in time then." She stood straighter now, composed.

"I'm Tifa." She introduced, pulling on a pair of leather gloves. "Just stick with me, you two." She winked and ran towards a few guards, punching one in the face.

"Whoa…" She gaped, Aeris laughing, shooting a "That's Tifa." Towards her. They both stayed behind her as she continued fighting the guards off. Two men above them on the platform were fighting off guards and Hojo up there. The one from earlier, with the gun was shooting off men left and right, and the other was fighting with a huge sword…? She couldn't quite see. Nevertheless, they continued their onslaught, the red creature fighting them as well, managing to tear off a few of the guards appendages. Most of them scattered, screaming. The red creature finally stopped, spitting a limb from its jaws.

"Sorry for earlier by the by. Was sort of necessary though, I couldn't have gotten out otherwise."

The girl looked upon the creature with widened eyes, mouth parted.

"You can speak?!"

It nodded, its mane shaking with it.

"But of course."

"Wow…..that's simply amazing." She pressed on. "Is that why you're here?"

"Not exactly. But we don't have time to chat now. I believe we'll be in deep trouble if we don't keep moving."

The two began running, following Aeris and Tifa up the stairway.

"What's your name?" She gasped out, grabbing onto the railing for support.

"You may call me whatever you wish. I've been called many things. Red XIII seems to be one of my names."

She nodded in response, the two reaching the platform where the others were.

"WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE, AN' FAST!" The man boomed. She was shocked to see that he the gun he was shooting with was _implanted_ in his very arm. She swallowed, grimacing slightly. The other man with the sword had blonde hair, spiky, a very confident aura about him.

He pointed his sword at her and Red XIII in a gesturing sweep.

"Are they coming too?" He said, in a quiet clear tone.

She nodded enthusiastically, not wanting to be in this place any longer. She'd seen all she needed at this point. Red XIII spoke up, "I shall assist you if you wish. I've nothing better to do." The man seemed to accept both answers and through a glance over his shoulder. "Then we'll split up. Me, Barret and you." He pointed at the creature. "We'll take the stairwells with our keycard." He threw a plastic card to Tifa. "You take Aeris and the other girl down the elevators without being seen. We'll meet up at the main entrance." Tifa nodded in response to him.

"Tifa. Don't get caught." He warned, turning around one last time before the two men and Red XIII bounded down the stairwell. Tifa nodded to both of the girls, running at full speed down the platform to the nearest elevator. They both followed suit, running as fast as they could, knowing full well Shinra was right on their tails.


	5. The Decision

Chapter 5: The Decision

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The hallways seemed endless as did every set of stairs. Down and down they went, racing to the finish line that everyone would inevitably reach. It was just a matter of time. And who was first.

The elevators were crowded with people who would surely notice them, so the girls had decided taking the maintenance stairs would be less suspicious. It wouldn't be long before the guards would come after them.

As Tifa swiped the final keycard, ending their final set of steps to their freedom, the game of hide and seek was over and their fate was sealed.

"FREEZE!" A voice boomed, the sounds of safeties being released on countless guns. Tifa sucked in her breath, turning around to face said owner of voice.

"I said," He smirked. "Freeze."

It was the man from before, the one who had asked her all of those questions. The one who was in the white room. She remembered him well.

"Ladies…" Reno stepped down to join his fellow colleague, matching them with a smirk of his own. The three women huddled together, Aeris stifling a cry as she clung to Tifa's arm. The other chewed her lip, not liking the odds pitted against them. Here she thought she was going to be freed, but her chances were extinguished almost suddenly. It seemed so unfair.

"I know you didn't break in here all by yourself." The man continued, smiling down at Tifa, tapping his gun against the railing. "Where's the rest of your little group?"

She glared up at him fiercely. "I wouldn't tell _you._"  
"No?" He mocked her. "I would assume you'd be smarter than that. You see, if we don't find them first, the guards will. And they won't keep them alive if they're forced to…._attack._"

"He won't die." She said suddenly. "Your guards wouldn't stand a chance."

"He…?" The man questioned curiously. "He. And just who would 'he' be exactly?"

She bit her lip, contemplating for a moment. Her eyes looked up to meet his.

"Your ex- SOLDIER."

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"Going up?"

Cloud cursed to himself quietly, turning around to face Rude, who had boarded their elevator.

"Top floor, please." Rude said, reaching over, shutting the door.

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"You all have a lot of balls coming in here like this. Infiltrating MY company." The President spat out, waving his cigar around him, as a cloud of smoke encircled his head.

The group of Avalanche had been captured and forced to the top floor of President Shinra's office. Guards surrounded them, so escape would be impossible.

"And you two." He gestured to the two women, the one of the Ancients and the other of the Stigma. " I thought you would have been contained more carefully. Whoever the idiot was in charge will be hearing from me." He sent a glare around the room at his incompetent employees.

"As for the rest of you, your endeavors have been wasted, because there's nothing you can do to put a stop to me. If you're lucky, you'll be alive long enough to see my grand finale. The peak of this company. We're going to harvest this planet dry."

The guards grabbed a hold of each of them, shoving them out of the room and whisking them down the endless hallways once more.

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She sat on the edge of her bed, arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked back and forth. The motion seemed comforting. She was so tired, and the sickness wasn't making anything any better. She felt twinges of pain shooting through her body. Disease coursing through her veins. She was going to die in here. Never to be found.

"You're very troublesome, aren't you?"

She jerked upward, startled by the sound of another's voice. It was that man again. The one from the white room, the stairs….what could he possibly do to her now….?

"What do you want…?" She asked wearily, swallowing thickly.

He tilted his head at her, observing her. He opened his mouth, to say something, but quickly chose to stay silent, merely looking at her.

"W-what?" She whispered, letting it linger. Her eyes studied him in curiosity, fear.

He stayed silent, moving to the end of the room with the chair, pulling it out and sitting on it.

It was silent for quite a while. Them in a mere staring contest.

Finally, "Where were you before Costa Del Sol?" His stare bore into her, as he waited patiently for her answer.

She blinked a few times, letting the question linger for a moment before settling into her mind long enough to find the answer.

"M-Midgar."

He nodded pleasantly, seeming to favor the answer.

"Did you live with your parents?"

"N-not….really. For a little….while." She swallowed again, eyes shifting from the door back to him again.

He sighed, and without taking his eyes off of her, pulled a small folder out of his jacket pocket. He opened it, examining it for a moment and then passed it to her. She reached out a shaky hand and accepted the small packet. She brought it to her lap, studying it until her brain registered.

"You were attending Shinra Academy."

She gazed at her student picture. Everything was in there. Her entire history.

"I…I was for a short while. Before I got sick."

"You never mentioned that."

"It wasn't important."

"Were you going to school infected?"

"No…n-no….I got kicked out before that."

"Why?"

She took in a shaky breath, her eyes still staring at her picture. She was younger than, about 12. Her eyes were bright, full of laughter and that special something every child possesses. That something that deludes the mind into thinking nothing but happiness. That part of her seemed to die so long ago.

"I wasn't…..very good."

"Not good? At what?"

"School." She shrugged, indifferently. "I never was."

"Seems you were a bit of a troublemaker as well." He chuckled, seemingly trying to lighten the situation.

She sent a glare at him. "What does this have to do with ANYTHING?"

"It has to do with everything. You were training to become a Turk. Actually I sort of find this ironic."

"I'm so glad you find my situation amusing." She said, through gritted teeth, throwing the packet to the ground.

He kept going, without a blink, "All this time you've been training to become a Turk and you were found by us. It's almost poetic." He smirked at her.

"I wasn't training to become one of you. That was my parent's wish. Why do you think I got myself kicked out?"

"And what did you do that was so bad?"

"A bunch of things. Ditching. Not doing as I was told. I hated that school."

"Ohh." He smiled, knowingly. "You know, you could have just told your parents you weren't interested."

"What are you my therapist?" She spat out, scornfully. "Don't tell me what I should have done. And what do you care?!"

"Well. I have sort of a proposition if you're interested in hearing it. If you're going to continue to be so rude however, I think I will let Hojo have his way with you."

She shuddered in remembrance of that foul, horrifying man and wanted nothing further to do with him.

"What is it?"

"Even though you were a terrible student, your skill in gunmanship impressed me, according to your record." He gestured to the contents on the floor. "If you allow us to inject you with more Mako, instead of being an experiment locked up with the other specimens, we could put you to better use as a Turk."

"WHAT?! I'll NEVER join you people! You're sick! How could you possibly think I'd ever HELP the very people who kidnapped me?!"

He shrugged, standing up, and straightening his suit. "You could be an excellent asset to us. However, if you really do wish to stay one of Hojo's projects…"

"I don't want to be his specimen either!" She cried in desperation.

"Then it would seem you have quite a decision to make. If I were you, I'd make it awfully fast, because Hojo will be back to fetch you soon."

He walked to the door, opening and shutting it without another word, leaving her to her dismal thoughts.


	6. Revealed

Intermission 1-Revealed

"_Hojo will be back to fetch you soon…_

Soon….how long before 'soon' came?

She twitched at the sound of every footstep reverberating against the tiles of the hallway outside her room. Everyone who walked by sent shivers down her spine. She would hold her breath, wrapping her arms around her knees and drawing them towards her chest.

An experiment. She knew just what that meant. A prisoner for eternity to a heartless, cold, evil, monster of a man. Her blood would stain his hands. What would he care…? Another specimen would be ready for him, the next in line, and her time there would soon be forgotten.

But to be a Turk. She knew what that meant as well. Still a prisoner, for eternity, serving under the very people she feared, hated. Forever carrying out their desires, their whims, with no will of her own. To be controlled. To be injected with any substance they wished, to power her. To use her. Like a machine. Her feelings would be disregarded, her thoughts, her life.

"I don't……want to be a monster." She whispered hoarsely, tears streaming from her eyes down her face, leaving think trails of moisture behind in their wake.

Her door slammed open. She jerked, stifling a scream and brought her tear stained face up to meet the horrible man come to take her-

_Red head._

It wasn't Hojo. It wasn't the other man. It was the redhead, standing there, hands in his pockets and looking serious, for once in the time she'd seen him. He studied her with his cerulean eyes and she was breathing in short gasps, struggling to stop crying and contain herself.

_"So?" _

She blinked a few times, clasping her hands together around her knees, fearing him. _He was a Turk too…_ She reminded herself. But then again, ANYONE was better than seeing Hojo. Anyone.

_"What's your choice?"_

Her choice….if you could call it much of one. Trapped between three fates. One being to join Shinra, sucking the planet dry until she collapsed and died. One to be used as an experiment, never to see the light of day again. One to just drop dead where she stood from the disease, ending her life and ending her choice making for her. She did not want to die, but if it meant being free from the alternatives, she would gladly take it.

"I……want…..to live." She whispered, glassy eyes darting from the floor to his face.

He smirked. That was just the answer he needed.

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Tseng smirked, reaching out, and grasping her small, cold hand in his own.

"Welcome to the Turks."

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Author's Note: Terribly short, I know, but I felt it a good time to stop here so I can explain the backstory. This girl was born from a wealthy family who worked for Shinra. Her parents sent her to the Shinra Academy, which was a training school to become assailants for the company, basically Turks. She wasn't much of a student and something there happened to her, but I won't give it away. It was a life changing event however, and it involves the Turks. It made her respect Shinra however, thus another event happening that I don't want to yet give away. However, she got kicked out eventually and ended up living with her parents and coming in contact with Mako.

I do offer you a clue. The event that transpired around her to make her respect Shinra involved Tseng. That's all I'mma say. And eventually I will complie a pre-story which will go through all of these events, and an epilogue that revolves around the future. Also, from now on shorter chapters containing fillers to the story will be known as Intermissions and labeled in number.


	7. Welcome to the Turks

"You'll be training under Reno, 2nd in command."

She nodded glumly, feeling his increasingly warmer flesh, as her hand continued to be held against his.

"That means you'll have the apprenticeship title. You'll be given a keycard that will give you access to most of the building and to your room."

"My…room?"

"Also, you'll be going to the labs every day for Mako injections." Tseng smirked, dropping her hand and walking around his mahogany desk.

"I'll have your suit cleaned and pressed and sent to your room. I just need your sizing. Amanda can get that on your way out. She's at the end of the hall. Blonde hair." He sat in his chair casually, hands clasped together on his wooden desk.

"This is….all moving so fast…for me." She swallowed, looking up at him through her bangs. Her tone was quiet, solemn for the first time she had been there. Her life was about to be signed away to the very people who had kidnapped her.

Tseng saw her change in disposition and almost looked at her apologetically. She was a young girl, frightened no less of the fate to befall her.

"I understand this is…a _change_ in your usual lifestyle_._ But believe me when I say, you're better off here rather than out on the streets or…signed off as an experiment."

She swallowed again at the mention of Hojo, and she shook the thought of him from her mind. Taking a deep breath, she brought her mind to think of other things….Aeris….the woman, the pink dress, she had talked to her in that dome. The people who had tried to help her escape.

'_Are you an Ancient…just like me?'_

'_Just stick with me you two!'_

'_You may call me whatever you wish. I've been called many things. Red XIII seems to be one of my names.'_

'_**You mustn't give up…even if it's hopeless.'**_

"The others." She blurted out, looking at him wide eyed.

Tseng jolted, looking at the young girl curiously. "Hm?"

"The other people, the ones who I was escaping with. Where are they now? What'll happen to them?"

Tseng looked at her for a few moments, calculating.

"They're being detained. For attempting to remove and steal Shinra property."

"Aeris and I aren't property, we're human-"

"And,' Tseng interjected, "Attempting to kill the President of the company."

"Oh, I doubt that. We were on our way out! Why bother waste the President when we're trying to make a getaway, not get caught!"

Tseng shrugged, smiling in an almost playful manner. "The only thing that matters now is that the said criminals are detained and Shinra's property is back where it belongs."

She glared daggers at him and spun around, facing the door. "Eat. Shit." She hissed venomously, slamming his office door behind her, and stomping down the hall to the receptionist.

Tseng merely chuckled at the girl's antics and continued his paperwork.

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"Hi!" A bright eyed young blonde smiled brightly up from her desk.

"H…..Hi." She answered, rubbing the back of her neck, still pissed off from Tseng's comments.

"I need your measurements for your new uniform!" She continued on, pulling a pen from behind her ear and a sheet of paper from her top drawer. "Standard Turk uniform! You must be awfully excited to be joining!" Her head bobbled excitedly, her thick glasses perched on the end of her nose.

"Ah….well….not….exactly-"

The blonde haired girl known as Amanda, stood up extracting a measuring tape from God knows where and proceeded to wrap it around her middle, her chest, and other areas not needing to be mentioned. Writing each number down on her slip of paper, and a bright smile to go with each, and finished up quickly and scurried back to the other side of her desk.

"Well! I think I have most of what I need from you. Your suit will be delivered to your room soon!" Another bright smile. She winced at the exuberance of the woman. How could she be so happy? Working for pigs who kidnapped people and did with them as they pleased.

"About this…room everyone keeps mentioning. I was sorta dragged here by someone else, so I don't know exactly where the detaining rooms are anymore…"

Amanda blinked in surprise, adjusting her thick glasses. "Oh no no no, miss, I think you're mistaken! Your room is on the upper floors now. You have your own little apartment!"

"…What?"

"Surprised? There are a lot of places in the Shinra building. Like a hospital, a mental ward, training school, wrestling room, recreational rooms. It's like a whole other world in here of its own! The Turks have their own set of rooms on the upper levels. "

"Huhn….it looked big from outside but…uh…"

"Here, I'll help you up to your room!" She beamed at her and stood up, crossing from behind her desk. She took quick short strides, pulling her along to the set of elevators. "Your keycard?" She blinked at her confusingly and then realized, pulling the small plastic card out. Amanda took it, smiling and swiped it through the card reader, plugging in the correct floor. "There we are." The doors slid open and the both boarded. The doors slid shut and brought them up to their destined floor. "Here we go." Amanda handed back her keycard, with an even smile. "Your room is number 9, miss! You'd be…hm….right next to Reno, I believe!"

"The annoying red head?"

"Yup, that'd be him." She gave off a short giggle and she gently pushed her out.

"But…w-wait, what am I supposed to do?"

"Check out the view!" She whispered, giggling again as the doors shut close.

The elevator closed and the young woman was out of sight. She frowned in thought, looking over her shoulder at the rows of doors. It looked a lot different from the rest of the building. It looked so apartment-like. As if she wasn't in the middle of a diabolical company bent on using her for its dirty work. She sighed, wanting to run out of it, as fast as she could and never look back, but everything seemed pitted against her. She shoved her hands into her pocket and proceeded to approach her new room. She turned the knob and entered, hoping it wasn't prison like, and was as 'homey' as Amanda had described it.

It was actually a quaint little living quarter. Straight through was a hallway leading to rooms further in back, most likely bedrooms. To the right, as soon as you walked in, was the kitchen, filled with small appliances and a wooden table. To the left was the main area, a long couch and a television set in front. There were book cases on either side of the television, and a long coffee table nearby. All in all, she'd take it over the little white room with a simple cot any day. She walked forward, feeling tired and miserable as ever and slumped down on the couch, needing a break and a way to sort her thoughts.

Was this any better than other fates to befall her? Could she really live this life? A life of imprisonment, a life of servitude?

Her father had made Shinra sound so wonderful to work for. He had always provided for his family because of Shinra. She never realized what it was or what it meant. It was some company far off in the middle of Midgar. All she knew was that it provided her electricity. She hadn't known a thing behind it. And now, she was being forced to work for them. The people who forced her away from her life. Was it a great life? No. Was it a better life?…..no.

….It…..wasn't any better, she realized. She hadn't been better off, in that café where they plucked her from. She was sick. She was dying. What they had offered her…in a way…was a chance at a new life. It wasn't a good way of living, but anything had to better than dying.

Right?

"Knock, knock!"

She spun around on the couch, looking over the cushions at the said owner of interrupting voice.

"Well hey. Enjoying your new room, huh? Pretty nice." He grinned cheekily at her. She glared.

"Whaaat? Don't be starin' me down, yo." He clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "I just wanted to ask ya if ya wanted to go get something to eat. It'd be a good way to learn your way around, yo."

"…You're not going to send me down to Hojo…are you?"

"What? No. Wait, why? Why would I do that? Why would I want to go down to the abyss of hell to go see a crazy creepy ugly guy? I mean, even if it WAS to torment you, it wouldn't be worth it in my opinion."

"….Promise you won't? I already joined you know. You can't change your mind."

"Ehh? What's up with you? I know you joined." He kept his hand on the knob, eyeing her wearily.

"Just…promise me alright? Even if it means nothing. At least as your new…teammate."

"Promise ya what now?"

"That you won't send me back to Hojo!"

"Ok, ok! Yeesh. I won't send ya back to creepazoid, blah, blah….happy now?"

"…Yea."

"Come on, ya comin' or not? I'm hungry. I'm goin' whether or not you come with."

"Ok…"

She slid off the couch, feeling hungry at the mention of food. It had been a few days since she last had a decent bite to eat. And exploring never hurt anyone. It was better than moping around all day feeling sorry for herself.

Reno sent her a smile, sort of excited she wasn't being difficult for once.

"Stop smiling at me." She muttered. "Everyone's been smiling at me lately today and I hate it. There's nothing to smile about."

Reno stopped, "Why not? You're alive aren't ya?"

"Well…yea but…."

"And you're gonna get better soon."

"Maybe…"

"And you've got a job."

"…."

"And a nice place to live."

"……"

"So stop mopin'! I'd say you got a pretty nice life right now, yo!"

She crinkled her nose, hating the fact he had managed to make some very crucial points.

"And anyway, nobody likes a negative Nancy." He pulled his smile back on.

"My name isn't even Nancy."

"I wouldn't know, yo. You've never told me your actual name. The only one who knows is Tseng, and he don't tell me anything. Unless I snoop."

"Huh." She continued walking, sliding her keycard through the card reader at the end of the hall.

"So….that's uh….maybe the part where you say, 'Well, my name is...' and then I know it and we're on a first name basis."

"Nah. It'll give you something to ponder."

Reno made an 'o' shape with his mouth, nodding slowly. "Well how do ya know I'm not already busy pondering other things. I might not even have time to ponder about your name. Maybe I don't even care…" She punched in a few floor numbers, wondering which one was the lunchroom area. "Well, look at you. Tryin' to be a little pro. I could just tell ya ya know."

"Then what is it?" She barked out.

"Ahh…well I'd tell ya, but see, it's gonna cost ya."

"Should have known…" She rolled her eyes.

"So….how 'bout this? Your name. My knowledge."

"Oh yes, your infinite knowledge is so worth it. You know, I could always just wait here till you're really hungry."

His smirk dropped a notch. "This is very true. Food is a big part of what motivates me. But then again, I'm more curious about you."

"Suit yourself. But it's not important." She tossed her bangs out of her eyes, noticing how long they were growing for the first time she'd been there.

"Just give me the initials and I'll guess. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Why are you so bent on knowing?" She stifled a smile, hating the fact that he was succeeding in making her so amused.

"I dunno. You're like this mysterious being." He waved his hands around as if to symbolize just how magical she was.

She choked back a laugh and pointed to the keypad. "The number."

"The initials?"

She sighed, crossing her arms.

"Please?"

He reached over, pressing in the correct number quickly, and the elevators slid open. She was surprised at the fast acting kindness.

"Thanks." She mumbled, steeping in. He stepped in after her.

"I was getting hungry." He explained after a few moments.

"Oh, I'm sure." A smile curled at her lips.

After a few minutes of riding the elevator in silence she looked over at him.

"L.A."

He smiled.


End file.
